Civil Groups demand full scale Police re-orientation

Amidst the ongoing agitation for the dissolution of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Civil libration groups have called for a full scale reform of the Nigerian Police force. Representatives of the civil groups made this call during a meeting summoned by the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, shortly after an order was given by President Muhammadu Buhari on dissolution of Special Anti-Robbery squad.

The meeting which was called jointly called by the Inspector General of Police and the National Human Rights Commission, had representatives of some civil society organizations, some members of the ENDSARS Movement and representatives from the Ministry of Police Affairs and the Police Service Commission.

At the meeting, the Civil groups said there have been lots of agitations in the past few days by the public for the disbandment of the the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

The group also highlighted some of the demands brought to the table by the Presidential Panel on the Reform of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), which included the need to start a complete implementation of the recommendations made by the Panel.

The inspector general of Police used the medium to assure Nigerians that the police will not in any way engage in activities that will strip Nigerians of their constitutional rights to peaceful assembly. He also went further to re-affirm the sanctity of life of every Nigerian and that the police has a key role to play in protecting these rights.

A communiqué which was signed by both the inspector General of Police and Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights commission, said that this was an opportunity for serious reforms to be to be embarked on in the Nigeria Police, in making them more trust worthy and proactive in the discharge of their duties. The communique also said the forum is happy and welcomes the dissolution of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) by the Inspector General of Police and that it will not relent to give the needed and necessary support to the Police in the discharge of there duties within the ambiance of the Law.

The communique further noted that the proposed reforms should be anchored under the basis of the White Paper on the Report of the Presidential Panel on the Reform of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad which was jointly authored by the National Human Rights Commission, the Federal Ministry of Justice, and the Nigeria Police Force.

Also, the forum pleaded that such reforms should be in accordance with the constitution and other relevant acts and legislations that formed the police amongst which are Nigeria Police Act, 2020, the Nigeria Police Trust Fund Act, 2019, the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 and the Anti-Torture Act, 2017, etc.

There was also a clarion call by the Forum for a proposed and Independent Investigation Panel to examine some violations of human rights by the defunct SARS and other segments of the Nigerian Police, this they said should be done within the next one week .

Some other recommendations made by the forum was compulsory psychological evaluation, retraining of personnel and setting up of a committee to put together a road Map implementation of the white paper.